Yeah, I can see that. My wife and I are both lawyers. She teaches business law, and I believe she used to assign this movie as extra credit or something, felt it the best presentation of corporate litigation, liability, etc. But I can see how even the best representation might be dry to non-lawyers. (Well, I REALLY like Duvall, so there’s THAT!)
This is one of my wife’s and my favorite movies. In our experience, there are plenty of lawyers who are happy to cross those and other ethical lines. Not enough movies emphasize that a good many lawyers are just hustling to make a buck.